A pointing device (e.g., a mouse, a trackball, etc.) may be used to interact with objects within a user interface of a computer system or other electronic devices (e.g., a set top box, etc.). Existing pointing devices offer a limited set of user interface operations. For example, a mouse is typically moved across a flat surface to produce translational movement (e.g., in the x and y directions) of objects in the user interface of a computer system. Another type of pointing device is a free space pointer. The free space pointer is typically moved in three dimensions. However, like the mouse, the free space pointer is limited to producing translational movement of objects in the user interface of the computer system, for example by pointing to an object and then moving the pointer to indicate a new position to which the object is to be moved.